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    Chicago's Swiss Consulate interior is a nod to 1960s modernism

    Swiss firm HHF and Chicago-based studio Kwong Von Glinow have collaborated on the interiors of the Swiss Consulate located in Chicago’s landmark John Hancock Center.

    Located on the 38th floor of the 100-storey supertall skyscraper, the 1,500-square-foot office is designed to pay homage to the shared architectural history of Chicago and Switzerland.
    The Swiss Consulate is located in the John Hancock CenterHHF and Kwong Von Glinow drew on the domestic interiors of Swiss modernist architect and designer Otto Kolb, who taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

    Original Otto Kolb light fittings have been used throughout, and the office’s mid-century style furniture is the result of a collaboration with Ginger Zalaba, Kolb’s granddaughter and founder of Zalaba Design.
    HHF and Kwong Von Glinow referenced the work of 1960s architect Otto Kolb”The Swiss Consulate was developed as one fluid space,” the designers told Dezeen. “Similar to the design of the Villa Kolb on the outskirts of Zürich.”
    At the centre of the office, an area is carved out by curved sections of wooden slats and plants in reference to Villa Kolb’s cylindrical fireplace.
    The kitchen is painted a deep green colourThese wooden dividers – painted a deep green internally and white on the reverse – act to separate the social areas of the office from the workspaces, loosely enclosing a green kitchenette and central tall table.
    “The light-altering screens that shape the green core act as mediators between the more public area and the working areas of the consulate,” explained the designers.

    Dyed concrete walls surround Swiss embassy in Nairobi by Roeoesli Maeder Architekten

    “Taking cues from how kitchens are typically used in the home as a place where daily interactions between family members occur, the kitchenette becomes the meeting place of the Swiss Consulate.”
    Three desks sit alongside this central core, while two individual offices and a conference room are separated from the more social area with large frosted glass partition walls that help pull light deeper into the plan.
    Meeting rooms are screened by frosted glass”Given the meeting room’s lack of access to direct light, natural light comes instead from the frosted glass partitions that separate it from the deputy’s office,” explained the designers.
    With privacy and security being important, the only entrance to the office is via a mirror-polished chrome door, which stands alongside a bright red reception booth.
    The reception booth is painted bright redKwong Von Glinow recently completed their first project since founding the practice in 2017, a light and spacious house in Chicago aimed to demonstrate an alternative to developer-led housing.
    Global practice Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the original designers of the John Hancock Center where the Swiss Consulate is based, has also recently revealed plans for a new curving glass canopy for the State/Lake station on Chicago’s metro.
    The photography is by James Florio.

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    Six of the best restaurant interiors in California

    From rustic fine dining to colourful ceilings designed to “stimulate the appetite”, here are six top examples of interior design for restaurants from California.

    Loqui in Downtown Los Angeles, California, by Wick Architecture & Design
    Los Angeles studio Wick Architecture & Design looked to materials more commonly found on construction sites when designing Loqui, the second location of a “mom and pop” taqueria in Downtown Los Angeles.

    Concrete floors and exposed pipes from the renovation have been left in situ while walls and surfaces are clad with terracotta brick and olive-pained stucco. Tables, chairs and benches are made of stained oak and the facade is made of patinated steel.
    Find out more about Loqui ›

    Madison in San Diego, California, by Archisects
    California studio Archisects designed bright-blue alcoves and cedar-clad walls and ceilings for Madison, a restaurant and cocktail bar built in a former nightclub in San Diego’s University Heights neighbourhood.
    The designers used wood and geometric shapes to create a warm and welcoming space, with nautical light fixtures that nod to the city’s coastal location.
    Find out more about Madison ›

    Bavel in Los Angeles Arts District, California, by Studio Unltd
    Los Angeles-based Studio Unltd turned a former warehouse in the Los Angeles Arts District into a Middle Eastern restaurant called Bavel (pictured top and above).
    Plants trail down whitewashed walls and banquettes are upholstered with geometric-patterned fabric. The bar area draws inspiration from Casablanca, Morocco, with pink metal seats and gold-and-turquoise shelves set in arched niches.
    Find out more about Bavel ›

    Auburn on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue, California, by Klein Agency
    Jon and Maša Kleinhample, a husband-and-wife design team from Belgium, wanted to create a homey aesthetic for Auburn, a fine-dining restaurant on Melrose Avenue.
    The kitchen is open to the dining area and crockery is stored in open-faced cupboards. Rustic ceiling beams project from the inside through to an outdoor dining area where a tree grows through a hole cut into the roof.
    Find out more about Auburn ›

    Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Beverly Hills, California, by Gucci
    The Gucci store in Beverly Hills has its own Italian restaurant on the top floor. The intimate 50-cover eatery is designed to look like the fashion house’s restaurant in Florence, with a marble entrance and tapestry rugs spread over wooden parquet flooring.
    An outdoor terrace has a mosaic floor patterned with stars and a retractable awning that is supported by steel beams painted jade green.
    Find out more about Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura ›

    The Salted Pig in Riverside, California, by Project M Plus
    Project M Plus, a Los Angeles-based collective of architects and designers, used a palette of warm tones to “stimulate the appetite and the senses” for this restaurant in Riverside.
    The ceiling and exposed ducts are brick red, with sage-green accents in the dining space below. Banquettes upholstered in leather are wrapped in wooden louvres and illuminated with domed copper lights.
    Find out more about The Salted Pig ›

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    Nine design projects from The New School's Parsons School of Design students

    A project exploring how architecture is integral to healing trauma and another investigating how bioluminescence could change our relationship to interiors is included in Dezeen’s latest school show by students at the Parsons School of Design.

    Also included is a project examining how the design of a shelter can support survivors of domestic violence and a device designed to slow desertification.

    University: The New School’s Parsons School of DesignCourse: Architectural Design (BFA), Architecture (MArch), Industrial Design (MFA), Interior Design (AAS), Interior Design (BFA), Interior Design (MFA), Lighting Design (MFA), Product Design (BFA) Email: thinkparsons[at]newschool.edu

    Statement:
    “Parsons School of Design – consistently named the best art and design school in the United States and ranked third in the world – has sent change-making artists and designers out into the world since its founding in 1896.
    “The School of Constructed Environments, one of the five schools within Parsons, guides students in creating socially and environmentally sustainable and technologically innovative buildings, interiors, lighting and products.
    “In a time of unprecedented change, our BFA and MFA programmes foster the skills, values and vision that foster creative thinking and a more integrated, equitable and aesthetically beautiful world.”

    The Gallery Hotel by Mohamad Ali Ezzeddine
    “Located at the corner of 20th Street and 10th Avenue, The Gallery Hotel offers a dynamic and cultural experience at the heart of Chelsea adjacent to the High Line. In a neighbourhood saturated with art galleries, The Gallery Hotel is thoughtfully designed to include an art gallery displaying local artists’ work on the main floor.
    “The lobby floor also features a reception area as well as a bar and lounge where guests can relax and enjoy the atmosphere. The second floor includes a restaurant with direct access to the High Line with the option to dine outdoors.
    “The hotel has 24 guest rooms located on the third, fourth and fifth floors. To complement the neighbourhood’s features, The Gallery Hotel will include a rooftop lounge area where guests can enjoy a panoramic view of all that Chelsea has to offer.”
    Student: Mohamad Ali EzzeddineCourse: AAS Interior Design

    Resistance by Carmen Cordova
    “Self-sacrifice: working without compensation, care and labouring towards the reproduction of society, have been attributed as characteristics of women’s identity.
    “It is not fair or sustainable to place the duty of maintaining society on an individual and as part of their identity. Without restructuring the exploitative relationships of care, societies can never promote the unity of community nor achieve greater equality.
    “This is why it is important to build resistance towards traditional roles, to end this issue and direct society towards fairness. My capstone project aims to build solidarity between the women of El Salvador and bring visibility to the issues they face. For women to continue to resist and fight, it is essential to provide them with tools to overcome the hardships they may face.”
    Student: Carmen CordovaCourse: BFA Interior Design

    Why They Stay by Jenna Koss
    “This is a real-life proposal for the Helpmate Domestic Violence Shelter in Asheville, North Carolina. The shelter needs to grow in both capacity and quality of its space and has purchased land on a slope to construct a purpose-built shelter.
    “Working within the expansion committee, this ongoing project investigates how the shelter can be designed to provide safety to inhabitants from both illness and abuse while enhancing conditions that promote healing.
    “This project also proposes how interior space can be layered in a way that empowers a survivor to form connections, reclaim agency and build resilience over time.”
    Student: Jenna KossCourse: MFA Interior Design

    A Tale: Heading to the Tent of Tomorrow by Jiuying Li
    “The thesis project is an experiment of transforming an abandoned artefact into an imaginary utopia which is occupied and renovated by people who have suffered from gender inequality and discrimination.
    “The project aims to manifest the urge of eliminating the gender bias that is rooted within American history, and to depict an alternative future for the architectural relic through storytelling.”
    Student: Jiuying LiCourse: MArch

    Flood Points: Redesigning Ekistics with time by Nalin Chahal, Eric Hu and Anthony Vesprini
    “Ekistics, the science of human settlements, has been a pervasive and well-established foundation of human civilisation since agriculture began. The dominance of humanity over the natural world has primarily left this science in a perpetual, unchanging state. But, our anthropogenic effects on the environment and the natural world around us in the past century have upset the delicate balance of carbon that is critical to maintaining habitable conditions on our planet.
    “Our devastating effect on the natural world must force us to reevaluate the ways we inhabit the land, how we engage with the world, and refound the idea of ekistics to adapt rather than withstand.
    “Our proposal will drastically alter our site to consider this change, focusing on rising sea levels and how we must adapt to this change rather than build ever-growing sea walls – be it 55 years on a critical carbon emissions scenario (2075) or 95 years in a low emissions scenario (2115) for our site to flood.
    “The first phase of the timeline would see the reintroduction of the natural habitat of Ditmars-Steinway back into the area, while also reimagining the site as an engaging park, educational space, market and community centre for Astoria. A vital component of this shift would be to drastically change the way energy is generated at our site to a more circular, sustainable and less carbon-intensive solution.
    “The second phase of the timeline would include the flooding of the site due to rising sea levels. As the site floods, more of the land would be dedicated to housing the changing flora and fauna. During this period, our programmatic elements of the site would remain functional. The final phase of our timeline would see the flooding of the programmatic mounds, returning the land (and the flooded interiors) to the natural flora and fauna. During this phase, the only operable programme would be the research centre.”
    Students: Nalin Chahal, Eric Hu and Anthony VespriniCourse: BFA Architectural Design

    Aquastor by Zihao Fang
    “Aquator is desertification remediation vessels produced using mixed materials from desert resources. Aquator vessels can promote soil growth in desert areas and slow the advance of desertification. It will be placed on the edge of the desert in a triangular arrangement with a spacing of one metre to build a barrier.
    “The temperature difference between the inside and outside of the vessels allows external water vapour to enter the desert and reduce the evaporation rate. Eventually, the Aquator vessels will be completely degraded and turned into nutrients for the land.”
    Student: Zihao FangCourse: MFA Industrial Design

    The CroChair by Daniela Solovey
    “For my project, I chose to investigate crochet as a novel form of production by using the technique to weave together upcycled materials. I designed made-to-order furniture that facilitates a transitional nod to an analogue craft, offering its user a highly functional product with a unique aesthetic.
    “It will benefit the design community by legitimising an often overlooked art form through the fusion of craft with traditional furniture design.”
    Student: Daniela SoloveyCourse: BFA Product Design

    Bio Loose Sense by Jo Li
    “During the pandemic, we are homebound, many of us working, living and relaxing indoors. At home, we have combined all functions of living. In my thesis, I want to introduce a new way of applying biomimetic design with light to separate the different functional zones and times in our house. If we consider temporal changes (time) as part of the biomimetic process, we must consider the lighting’s control as the key to this application.
    “Human activities include a rhythm similar to the rhythm of nature. Bio Loose Sense is a biomimetic design that encourages the connection between humans and nature and also keeps our senses activated.
    “The design learns from natural phenomena, such as bioluminescent tides and organisms. It explores how we can use the potential of bioluminescence to change our relationship to lighting and interiors.”
    Student: Jo LiCourse: MFA Lighting Design

    Healing Structures by Carmen Iris Ruiz Cruz
    “The 6.4 magnitude earthquake that took place a year ago in Puerto Rico not only left the island’s urban infrastructure compromised but challenged the survivors to recover from the physical and mental repercussions.
    “The problem is that post-disaster response focuses on physical wellbeing, immediate solutions like shelter and overlooks mental wellbeing and invisible injuries like trauma, which have a long-term impact on the survivors.
    “Architecture and lighting are integral to the healing process. Built spaces are not only meeting points, but environments where people share stories and attempt to heal one another through communal interaction. If healing is the goal, the quality of these spaces needs assessment and consideration.”
    Student: Carmen Iris Ruiz CruzCourse: Dual Degree: MArch and MFA Lighting Design
    Partnership content
    This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and The New School’s Parsons School of Design. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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    Sarah Coleman puts a psychedelic twist on the brand's logo at the Fendi Caffe

    Artist Sarah Coleman has added a psychedelic twist to Fendi’s distinctive double-F logo for a pop-up cafe she designed for the brand in the Miami Design District.

    Stylised as the Fendi Caffe, the cafe designed for the Italian fashion house was located on the outdoor corridor of OTL restaurant in the heart of Miami’s Design District from May to early July.

    Coleman manipulated the traditional Fendi logoThe cafe was informed by the brand’s Summer Vertigo capsule collection, which New York artist Sarah Coleman designed in collaboration with Fendi’s creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi.
    Defined by yellow and blue tones, the ready-to-wear collection features 90s streetwear references as well as shapes borrowed from 70s psychedelia.
    The entrance to the cafe was on an outdoor corridorCentral to the cafe’s bold design was FF Vertigo, Fendi’s iconic FF logo that Coleman and Venturini Fendi warped for the capsule collection and repeated throughout the cafe in a series of bold colours.
    The artist explained the influences that prompted her to explore the 70s in her design process.

    Ménard Dworkind creates retro coffee bar in downtown Montreal

    “When I first began brainstorming, I went straight to my bookshelf and dove into everything I have about the 1970s, a period of spontaneity and extreme self-expression,” Coleman told Dezeen.
    “I think the 70s are the greatest fashion era of the 20th century. The spirit of disco, the flowing post-psychedelic art,” she added. “There were so many inspiring aesthetic references to draw upon.”
    FF Vertigo was repeated throughout the spaceVisitors to the cafe were greeted with an expanse of bright yellow canopy that contrasted with green potted plants lining the permanent Fendi boutique that is located opposite the pop-up’s site.
    FF Vertigo featured as a bold motif throughout, topping the space’s various tables and barstools while more abstract swirly shapes tumbled over the cafe’s yellow walls.
    A permanent Fendi boutique is opposite where the pop-up wasOrb-style pendant lights and menus also included FF Vertigo in their design, while a more traditional version of the Fendi logo featured on the cafe’s edible items such as cappuccinos and toast.
    Fendi is a luxury fashion house founded in 1925 by Adele and Edoardo Fendi.
    Other previous projects by the brand that are informed by the past include a travelling installation for an edition of Design Miami featuring pastel 50s furniture.
    The images are courtesy of Fendi.

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